In 1043 Leofric, Earl of Mercia and his wife Lady Godiva established a Benedictine abbey in the city. By the 14^th century Coventry had become an important center of the textile trade, run by many wealthy guilds. The importance of the textile trade decreased in the 17^th century and watchmaking gained in importance. In 1896, the first British cars were produced in Coventry. In 1905 Coventry became one of the first cities to produce synthetic textiles.

The most well known landmarks of Coventry are 13th century Trinity Church, former guilds house St. Mary’s Hall (1450) and Saint Michael’s Cathedral, which was rebuilt on German donations in 1962 after it had, like the old city center, been destroyed in air raids in World War II. The ruins of the church and its 92-meter high tower have remained as a memorial. The rest of the inner city has been rebuilt on British government funds in modern style.

Coventry is a university city and is located in the Midlands, near Birmingham. The city is a center of industry and is famous for the construction of automotive and aircraft engines. Presently, the multicultural, lively city has 304,000 inhabitants.

Until today, guests from Coventry visit their twin town Graz. The year 2005 marked the 60^th anniversary of the end of the war and the 50^th anniversary of Austria's state treaty. On this occasion, the Coventry Association for International Friendship (www.caif.net) paid a visit to Graz in order to start with new initiatives between the two partner cities.

For further information on life and culture in Coventry please see the city’s homepage at www.coventry.gov.uk. Some of Coventry’s annual events are the Godiva Festival of Music and Theatre and the Royal Agriculture Show. There is also a biannual festival of church music.